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What a web designer actually does
A web designer decides how your website looks and how it works for the people using it. It starts with structure: which pages exist, what sits on the first screen, where the button to a call or a quote goes. Then come the styling in your brand, the phone version, and the choices that decide whether someone finds what they came for. The result is a design, often in a tool such as Figma, that the designer or someone else then builds.
You will also hear UX designer and UI designer. UX is about the flow: the steps a visitor takes before calling, ordering or booking, and where they drop out. UI is about the screens themselves: buttons, colours, typefaces, space. On a small business site a web designer usually does both; on a web application or client portal they are often separate people, because the flow is more complex. How a design differs from a wireframe is in the glossary entry on wireframes.
Good design goes beyond looks. Contrast, visible focus and a label on every field are legal requirements for EU webshops since 28 June 2025, see the European Accessibility Act website requirements, and heavy images and animation designed without regard for load time make a slow site; check yours with the website speed test.
Who does what on a new site
| Role | What they do | What they usually do not |
|---|---|---|
| Web designer | structure, design, phone version | code, integrations, copy |
| Web developer | building, speed, forms, integrations | design, copy |
| Copywriter or SEO specialist | copy, search terms, a page per question; see what does an SEO specialist do | design, code |
| Photographer or videographer | imagery of your business and work | the site itself |
| Agency | all of these, with one contact | it differs per agency |
What each role costs per hour is in web developer hourly rate; whether to work with a freelancer or an agency, in freelancer or agency.
Twelve pages, split per role
A twelve-page site, about 100 hours
- Development 30 to 50 h
- Web design 20 to 30 h
- Copy and search terms 15 to 25 h
- Translation 8 to 15 h
- Project follow-up 5 to 10 h
Copy, Wix and Figma
Does a web designer write my copy too?
Usually not. Ask beforehand: copy decides whether your site gets found and whether visitors get in touch, and it is often the longest part of a project.
Can a web designer make my Wix site look better?
Yes, within what the platform allows. For things Wix cannot do, such as linking to your own systems, you need a developer and often a different base.
Is a design in Figma already a website?
No, it is a drawing of the site. Someone still has to build it, with forms, speed, measurement and the right technical setup for Google.
What that means if you only hire a designer
Hire only a web designer and most of the work still needs an owner: building and copy together take more than half the hours, with translation and project follow-up on top. That is no reason not to do it, just a reason to know beforehand who does the rest. A brief helps every role equally; the website brief template has the questions ready, and how long does it take to build a website shows how those hours fall into weeks. If your site is not being found, run the SEO checker before any redesign; to try it yourself first, read build your website yourself or hire.